Deborah Cox, who starred in the title role of the Broadway production of Aida, will pay tribute to the late jazz singer Dinah Washington, who was the subject of Oliver Goldstick's Off-Broadway play-with-music, Dinah Was.

Deborah Cox

Cox's new CD, titled "Destination Moon," is due in stores on the Decca Records label June 19. In a statement the pop singer said, "This is a complete labor of love, a concept album that I've had in mind for years. This is a project that's an introduction to all of the styles that I grew up with. It's a way to expose another side of me that I've kept quiet. It's a chance to look inside my history of influences and hear where I'm coming from as an artist."

"I first became aware of Dinah," Cox added, "when I was growing up, when I was about eight or nine years old. A lot of jazz was played about the house. I heard my mother playing a 45 of 'This Bitter Earth' — this first song I had ever heard from Dinah. It was the richness and the tonality of her voice that I gravitated to."

Cox also said it was her experience on Broadway that led to this new recording: "After performing in Aida with a live orchestra night after night, I got smitten with the idea of doing an album like this." The disc features 40 musicians playing Rob Mounsey's arrangements.

The singing actress will celebrate the release of her new CD with a June 25 concert in Manhattan. Cox will perform at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, located in Jazz at Lincoln Center. Additional concert dates will be announced.

The complete track listing for "Destination Moon" follows: "Destination Moon" "What a Difference a Day Makes" "Misery" "Baby, You've Got What It Takes" "The Bitter Earth" "Squeeze Me" "New Blowtop Blues" "Blue Skies" "I Don't Hurt Anymore" "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" "September in the Rain" "Look to the Rainbow" Bonus: "Out of Sight Out of Mind," "All of Me" Born in 1973, Deborah Cox began her professional career at the age of 12, playing small Toronto clubs before attending a performing arts school. She later signed with Arista Records, and her first single, "Sentimental," was released in 1995. Her second single, "Who Do U Love?," sold over 500,000 copies. Cox's recording of "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" from her album "One Wish" topped the R&B charts for 14 weeks. She also had another Top 10 hit with "We Can't Be Friends." She also held the No. 1 Billboard Dance position with her remake of Phil Collins' "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven." Aida marked Cox's Broadway debut.